UN Reports Discovery of a 'Mass Grave' in Sudan

The UN Human Rights Office announced on Thursday, July 13, that at least 87 individuals, including members of the 'Masalit' ethnic group, have been buried in a mass grave in the western Darfur region of Sudan. According to this agency, there is credible information that the Rapid Support Forces are responsible for this act. Reuters reported that in a statement from the UN, local people were forced to bury bodies, including those of women and children, in an open area near the city of Geneina (the center of western Darfur) between June 20 and 21. The statement also noted that during a wave of violence by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, in the days following the killing of local governor Khamis Abkar, some people lost their lives due to untreated injuries. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated, 'I strongly condemn the killing of civilians and am horrified by the brutal treatment and disrespect shown to the dead and their families and communities.' It remains unclear what portion of the deceased are from the 'Masalit' group. Ethnic massacres have intensified in recent weeks with the outbreak of war between rival military factions in April. The power struggle between the army and the 'Rapid Support Forces' in Sudan has led to thousands of deaths and injuries and displaced about three million Sudanese since April 15. The consequences of three months of conflict in Sudan: the number of refugees and asylum seekers has reached three million. Continued war in Sudan; Egypt holds a conference to achieve peace. Airstrikes by the Sudanese army left 22 dead. Meeting of the foreign ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sudan after seven years. Sudan crisis; renewed clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces intensified.